Obituary: James LewellynJames Lewellyn, 71, of London passed away Saturday, April 4, 2015, at his home in London. The son of J.C. and Louise Foust Lewellyn, he was born Sept. 5, 1943, in Swifton, AR. He married Janie Johnson on Oct. 30, 1964, at Jonesboro. He was a receiving clerk with Walmart for 20 years retiring in July of 2013. He was a member of the Cash Church of Christ in Cash. James enjoyed gardening, working in the yard, spending time with his family and thr...

Obituary: Fred PotterDARDANELLE — Frederick Harold Potter, 91, of Russellville was called home to be with his Lord on Thursday, April 9, 2015, at Russellville Nursing and Rehab Center. He was born Nov. 10, 1923, at Ravenden to the late Dewey and Florence Dotson Potter. He was a Christian and a U.S. Army veteran of WWII, where he flew 33 missions as a machinist gunner in a B-24. Fred was also a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service and played bass in ...

Obituary: Thomas WalkerFORT SMITH — Thomas Burl Walker, 79, of Russellville entered into rest Thursday, April 9, 2015. He was born Nov. 15, 1935, in Alice, Texas. He was a member and choir director of the First Freewill Baptist church on Armour in Fort Smith. He was preceded in death by his parents, J.C. McCullough and Lois Jackson; his granddaughter, Chrissy Crowell; and his sister, Martha Nell Conley. He is survived by his wife, Kandice of the home; two daughters,...

Obituary: Rita ShoptawRita Darlene Shoptaw died Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at St. Vincent Hospital in Little Rock. She was the daughter of the late Henry and Iva Williams. Survivors include her brother, Keith Williams of Russellville; sisters, Wilma Caldwell of Atkins, and Mary Faulk of Springfield, Mo.; granddaughters, Ainslie Turney of Hattieville, and Amber Carter of Atkins; grandson, Tyler Shoptaw of Little Rock; and friend (adopted daughter), Janette Haynes of ...

News Briefs (April 12, 2015)Marine Corps League meeting The Marine Corps League, Lake Dardanelle Detachment No. 1310 will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at 411 N. Phoenix Ave. in Russellville. For more information on this event, visit www.mcl1310.com. The location is below the new overpass on North Phoenix Avenue, on the northwest corner. All former or active Marines and FMF Corpsmen are invited to attend. For more information, call Kenneth Buchanan at (479) 264-1367 or Bob Molde...

Fourth-graders show art, music appreciation in Classy ClubFourth-graders are not usually known for their appreciation of classical music and art. Twenty-two Sequoyah Elementary students, however, have proven sophistication is the new standard with their participation in the Classy Club. Art teacher Ashley Bryan and music teacher Sarah Curlin said they collaborated to form the club to help their students gain awareness for and learn to respectfully judge the arts. “We wanted it to be challenging and b...

Two new hotels coming to RussellvilleA vacant lot between East Harrell Drive and Reasoner Lane will soon house two of the most recognizable hotel chains in the nation — Holiday Inn Express and Suites and Candlewood Suites. Developer Cal Makon told The Courier on Thursday construction would begin “any day now” on the 82-room Holiday Inn Express and Suites. In addition to the construction of the Candlewood Suites, a 1,500-square foot meeting center will also sit among the new devel...

Dardanelle's Ring inducted to Country Music Hall of FameDARDANELLE — The epitome of country music is at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. The recognition awarded to those inducted into the genre's highest platform is an honor dedicated to only a few — one of them being Bonnie Brown Ring. The Arkansas River Valley resident was recently informed of the honor she and her siblings would receive during a formal induction ceremony in the fall. Known as Jim Ed Brown and The Browns, the tr...

Bond hearings (April 10, 2015)The following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Friday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear May 18 in Pope County Circuit Court. * Maggie Casey, 29, theft by receiving — $5,000. Casey admitted to pawning stolen weapons last fall in Johnson County, an officer testified. * Steven Switzer, 51, possession of a controlled substance with i...

News Briefs (April 11, 2015)Eagles Pancake Breakfast today The Eagles Aerie 3928 of Russellville will host a pancake breakfast from 7-10 a.m. today. Pancakes, sausage, milk, coffee and orange juice will be available on the menu. The event is sponsored by the Eagle Riders. Eagles is located at 3016 E. 16th St. in Russellville. Children’s Musical Theater to perform The Arkansas Center for Music Education (ACME) presents the spring productions of its Children’s Musical Thea...

Cause of Little Rock executive's death undeterminedMORRILTON (AP) — The Conway County Sheriff's Office says the cause of death is undetermined for a Little Rock business executive whose remains were found on Petit Jean Mountain last month. Sheriff Mike Smith told reporters Friday that the state medical examiner's report also listed the manner of death of John Glasgow as undetermined. He said the case remains open. Glasgow — the chief financial officer of CDI Contractors LLC — was last seen ali...

Student arrested after gun found at Little Rock schoolLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Police in Little Rock say a 14-year-old student has been arrested after he was found to be carrying an unloaded gun on the campus of Horace Mann Middle School. A police report says another student reported the weapon Friday morning and that a security officer assigned to the school took the boy out of class. The teenager was then searched and the handgun was found in his pants pocket. No injuries are reported. The report say...

Solar panels removed from Little Rock hospital for parkingLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Some of the unused solar panels at the Little Rock Veterans Affairs hospital have been taken down to make room for a new parking deck. About 7,300 panels were installed over a year ago in the parking lot of the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in 2013 at a cost of about $8 million. Some of the panels are being removed so a new parking deck can be built. According to Marty Risner, an energy manager with U.S. Depar...

North Little Rock coach fired by school boardNORTH LITTLE ROCK (AP) — District officials have unanimously voted to fire North Little Rock High School's football coach Brad Bolding, who is accused of recruitment and purchasing violations. School board members voted Friday to uphold their decision to terminate the coach made during a previous appeal meeting. Bolding requested the appeal after receiving a second termination notice. Superintendent Kelly Rodgers said the second notice was sen...

Hutchinson interested in merit selection for judgesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called Friday for a renewed debate on whether the state's appellate judges should be appointed rather than popularly elected, a move that comes amid a high-profile split on the Supreme Court over a gay marriage case. The Republican governor stopped short of specifically endorsing a plan to no longer elect members of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, but said he thinks it's time to examine t...

Arkansas State University leaders to consider alcohol salesJONESBORO (AP) — Leaders of Arkansas State University have approved alcohol sales in limited areas during athletic and entertainment events. The system's board of trustees on Friday unanimously sanctioned a 10-year lease with the NEA Sports Club, a local nonprofit. The club will be allowed to sell beer, wine or liquor to its members in limited areas of the Centennial Bank Stadium and the Tomlinson Stadium. It can also sell alcohol at designate...

School closed in hard-hit Illinois areaAt least one school that serves hundreds of students is closed in the tornado-damaged areas of northern Illinois. Among the hardest hit communities was Fairdale, where one woman died. Homes and other structures were severely damaged. Children from the small farming town of roughly 150 people attend a nearby school in Kirkland where classes were canceled on Friday, the day after the severe weather hit. Hiawatha School District Superintendent Sa...